Votes for Women
A Brief History of the Women's Suffrage Movement
By: Amy Corwin
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What is Women's Suffrage?
3 -
Main Events of the Movement
4 -
Accomplishments
5 -
What it Means For Us Today
6
The women's suffrage movement created an
amendment to the constitution which gave
women the right to vote and hold an
elected, political office. Before this
amendment was added, women did not
have these rights. People who fought
for these rights felt that all people should
be treated equal.
The women's suffrage movement spans the years 1840 to 1920. Some of the most important events were;
1848: The first women's rights convention is held and, during this convention the women create "The Declaration of Sentiments". This document lays the foundation for everything women around the country hope to accomplish.
1868: The fourteenth amendment to the consitution is passed which defines voters and citizens as men only effectively giving women no rights.
1872: Women around the country are arrested for attempting to vote in the presidential election.
1878: The Woman Suffrage Amendment is introduced in Congress.
1887: The first vote on women's suffrage is taken in the senate and is defeated.
1890: Wyoming becomes the first state to grant women rights through their state constituion.
1920: American women finally win full voting rights through the passage of the nineteenth amendment to the constitution.
During the women's suffrage movement, women fought to have the same rights as men. They were
able to work with and use many of the same ideas as the civil rights movement. In the end, women
were eventually granted the right to vote as well as hold an elected office.
In many ways, the women's suffrage movement increased the rights of women around the country.
However, many would argue that women still have a lot of work to do to be considered completely
equal to men in all areas. One such area that has been gaining attention recently is the unequal pay
between men and women.